Sharks Need Vlasic Matchup to Slow Crosby

SAN JOSE — Marc-Edouard Vlasic was dancing around the issue. All the matchups with the Pittsburgh Penguins are tough, he said. All of their lines are challenging, he said. It’s not like the team is all Sidney Crosby and no one else, he said.

He cracked, though, when presented with the data. According to Left Wing Lock, Vlasic had been on the ice against the full Crosby line — Conor Sheary, Crosby and Patric Hornqvist — just 35.44 percent in Game 2 at even strength, and 22.35 percent in Game 1.

“That’s not enough,” Vlasic said. “Should be 90, 95 [percent], so 35 is too low. Too low.”

He added, “That’s 35 against all the lines, so I’ve played just as much. So there is no matchup there right now.”

That, in one sense, is one of the key aspects of the return home for the San Jose Sharks for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at SAP Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports). They will have last change. They can get the matchups they want. They can put Vlasic and defense partner Justin Braun on Crosby, getting their best on the Penguins’ best.

“He’s an elite player, he’s one of the best,” Vlasic said of Crosby. “I’ve always enjoyed playing against him. I’d like to play against him more. Maybe through the first two games I wasn’t matched up as much as I’d like to against him. But hopefully Game 3 and 4 I can be.”

Vlasic and Braun have been a significant weapon for the Sharks in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’ve shut down the top-scoring forward in series after series, starting with Tyler Toffoli of the Los Angeles Kings, then Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators and Vladimir Tarasenko of the St. Louis Blues. Those three players combined for three goals and one assist against the Sharks in 18 games in the playoffs. And …

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